Revealed: A record 2,431 Londoners rushed to try and save the lives of people suffering cardiac arrest in street

A total of 2,431 patients who collapsed in public received CPR chest compressions from a “good Samaritan”, London Ambulance Service revealed today.

In 107 emergencies, passers-by also tried to use a defibrillator to restart the heart. Of the 79 patients whose heart was in a “shockable rhythm”, 51 were resuscitated and were alive on arrival at hospital, and 39 survived and subsequently left hospital alive.

LAS medics today praised the public’s willingness to intervene, saying it showed the benefits of teaching life-saving skills and making defibrillators available in public places. There are now 4,972 of the automated devices in the capital.